Carolina Panthers: Cam Newton Deserving Of Top Player in 2016

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton‘s ranking as “Top Player In 2016” is a testament to his improvement.

The award of Most Valuable Player is a prestigious honor that brings a lot of accolades and pressure. Cam Newton reached that career “brass ring” with his performance during the 2015 season. Heading into the 2016 year he has to find a way to improve even further and lead the Carolina Panthers over the top and to a Super Bowl title.

No one knows what’s to come, but one thing is clear: the rest of the National Football League recognizes just how valuable Newton has become to the Panthers organization.

The NFL Network released its annual series to uncover the top ranked players of 2016. This year’s list revealed that Newton is considered the most valuable player by all of his peers. Leading the Panthers to a 15-1 record was certainly impressive, but what is more compelling to see is the ways he improved on his own career bests to push this team to a point that it never reached in history. In doing so, Newton has solidified himself amongst the best quarterbacks in the NFL.

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Newton’s exceptional play dotted the Panthers’ box scores in multiple ways. While most look at his 35 passing and 10 rushing touchdowns as the focal point of his improvement, there are other points of reference that should be considered. For example, he threw only 10 interceptions this season, the lowest number that he’s produced since entering the league in 2011.

Jun 15, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) laughs during stretches at the practice field at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

One of the biggest knocks against Newton was his inability to make the best decisions when under pressure in the pocket. His ability to limit those mistakes and nearly reach a 60 percent completion percentage are testaments to that level of improvement.

There was a point this season in which the game plan was to limit Newton’s rushing attempts. His 636 rushing attempts were an increase over the totals from the last two seasons but much of this could be attributed to the increased load that he had to play in the offense with key injuries to Kelvin Benjamin and Jonathan Stewart. Fans and opponents alike should expect to the Panthers attempt to keep Newton a part of the rushing game without relying on his legs too much in an attempt to keep him healthy throughout the 2016 campaign. Still, his legs factored highly into his great season which was recognized by this award from the rest of the players in the league.

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2015 was a major year for Newton as he shed much of the criticism that followed his hype into the National Football League. Even though he built some new controversies for himself and developed other situations that fans and players alike used as detractions; his performance on the field proved that he has deserves the label of franchise quarterback.

This coming season will be a true indictment of his direction as a player and a leader in this league. Earning the recognition of being the top ranked player in 2016 by his own peers is an important step in that direction.